Track for toy figures or vehicles



Jam 14, 1941. T, FINDER 2,228,972

TRACK FOKTOY FIGURES 0R VEHICLES File d Jan. 4, 1940 Patented Jan. 14, 1941 v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TRACK FOR TOY FIGURES OR VEHICLES Thomas Pinder, Perambur, Madras, India Application January 4, 1940, Serial No. 312,439 In Great Britain December 7, 1938 1 Claim. (Cl. 246-415) This invention relates to tracks for toy figures tongue substituted for the smaller removed or vehicles, representing railways or pathways on tongue piece, is pivoted at 9 so as to be adapted which miniature vehicles or toy figures are prO- to be swung across the track to close either pelled, and one of the main objects of this invenbranch groove 3 or 4 as desired. This arrange- 5 tion is the provision of a new or improved track ment provides an adequate point control but the or roadway of the kind in which the track sections vehicle wheels running on the track or base at are rigid under load but are capable of being althe side of the guiding groove are not always on tered by hand in a horizontal plane from straight track level since they are required to bump over to curved and vice-versa. whichever branch groove is closed, and therefore According to the invention, the track for toy the construction shownin Figure 1 is to be prefigures or vehicles comprises a flexible base ierred. formed with a groove adapted to constitute a The vehicle or figure would be provided with a guide for the figures or vehicles, and is characterflanged wheel or other member which extends ised in that at points where the track branches, or depends into engagement with the guiding slot the tongue between the branches is removed and or groove in the track in known manner, and the substituted by a larger tongue adapted to be flexible base constituting the track may be suitmoved across the track to completely close the ably coloured and camouflaged so thatythe groove entrance to either branch, as desired, leaving the is not easily discernible.

other branch open. This groove besides acting as a guide, may be of The new tongue may be pivotally mounted to such a depth as to allow for projections from swing across the track or it may be adapted to be models with small bases such as figures to have slid across the track. an extended guide attached which, besides being In order that the invention may be clearly a guide, also lowers the centre of gravity of the understood and readily carried into effect, the model as necessary.

25 same will now be more fully described with ref- In order to make the railway road or pathways erenoe to and by the aid of the embodiments 11- more realistic, the sides or base of the track can lustrated in the accompanying drawing; wherein: have attached thereto suitable material which is Figure 1 is aplan view showing branched tracks or can be coloured or otherwise made to reprehaving different point constructions. sent environment for these ways. This material Figure 2 is a plan view of a modified form of may have trees and buildings or the like built 3 the invention shown in Figure 1. upon it, and/or may represent cuttings, ravines, Referring to the drawing, the track comprises mountains, and the like, and can be made of some a rubber or other flexible base I having a central pliable material thus rendering conversion of enguiding groove 2 leading to branch grooves 3, 4 vironment capable of being made. This material 5 controlled by a point tongue '5. will preferably be detachable so that environ- In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, the ments may be entirely changed as desired. tongue 5, substituted for the smaller tongue piece Having now particularly described and ascerremoved from between the branches Wider tained the nature of my said invention, and in than said removed tongue piece by the width of t manner the Same is t be performed 1 40 the guiding groove, and this tongue 5 is capable of Clare that what I claim horizontal. movement across the track that A track for toy vehicles including a main track when agalhst thehdge of one branch groove 3 portion and a curved branch portion, said track 4, the other one 15 Opehcomprising a base formed with a medially dis- Thus h tongue 5 1S m l h' posed groove adapted to constitute a guide for the tion Shown 1h Flgure the Vehlcle W111 h the vehicles movable on the track, said track at the Straight h when h i m the juncture of said main and branch portions having dotted llne position, the vehicle W111 take the a relatively large pointed tongue adapted to branch road 3. The wheels or rollers of the vehimoved across the track ta close the groove to cle on either side of the guidingxgroove will traveither the main m or 1 s el over the tongue 5 when taking either branch 3 being of gush a i du? ???cgmglet ely gh se iih i or 4 and remain at track level. The tongue 5 is the main groove the branch groove, id tongue held in position and moved or adjusted across also. having Smooth upper supporting urfa e the tra y w s 6, fi d t said tongue 5, which over which the wheels of the vehicle travel always W k ea y in two holes I and are connected at track level, and means for actuating said together at 8 and moved manually, electrically or tongue.

pneumatically. THOMAS PmDER In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 2, the 

